Our Story

January, 1784. The Revolutionary War had just ended and George Washington was still 5 years away from the Presidency, when a young English seedsman came to our young country and established his business on High Street in Philadelphia. His name was David Landreth and the company he built, D. Landreth & Sons, grew to become one of the most influential forces in American horticulture.

D. Landreth & Sons has introduced and chronicled the development of some of the most popular vegetables ever grown, many of which are now heirlooms. In 1798, the company brought the first Zinnias into the country from Mexico. In 1808, Lewis and Clark sent samples collected on the Journey of Discovery to D. Landreth & Sons for cultivation. In 1811, Landreth introduced the first white potato to America (prior to this introduction, potatoes had been yellow). Bloomsdale spinach, the extra early pea, the very first Japanese shrubs and plants in the country (brought back from Japan by Commodore Perry) – the list goes on and on.

But Landreth’s place in history does not just include what was sowed in the ground – they also created tools and machines to work the soil. They pioneered the first grain and seed threshers, built some of the first mowers, reapers, plows and corn shellers, and in 1872 developed the first steam-powered tractor for plowing fields.

For over 230 years, Landreth’s Seed has grown the crops that have built our nation, and we are excited to announce that Landreth’s will be here for years to come. We are offering a limited quantity of Landreth’s Heritage Seed Collections for the Spring of 2017. These collectable packets were printed over 75 years ago, but are packed with fresh seeds for 2017.

Landreth’s™ will be once again offering a full line of seeds for 2018 and beyond while also supporting our loyal customers with how-to guides, video tutorials, recipes and as always, the rich stories that can only be told by the Oldest Seed House in America.

D. Landreth & Sons Established

1784

1883 Catalog Cover

1883

1884 Catalog Cover

1884

1890 Testimonial

“Our family have dealt with your firm for sixty years, but last year I was drawn off by cheap seeds, and the result is, I have lost my entire garden. The man who will sell cheap seeds should be prosecuted, as they don’t come up, and when they do it is just as bad as if they don’t”1890

1897 Catalog Cover

1897

1899 Catalog Cover

1899

1902 Catalog Cover

1902

1936 Ad

1936

1934 Quote

“In 1849 David Landreth, Jr. was the first to graft in the greenhouse a tomato on a potato root. In this instance, the tomato plant nourished by the potato roots produced tomatoes in the usual form, but in the second place the potato stem grafted on a tomato root could not produce its tubers under the ground, but produced fruit the size of a small pea at the access of all the stems, a most curious result, showing how nature strives always to reproduce itself.”1934

American Meadows Purchases Landreth's Seed.

2016

Purchase Landreth’s Seeds

American Meadows is pleased to be the exclusive seller of D. Landreth & Sons seeds. We are offering a very limited quantity of Landreth Heritage Seed Collections for the Spring of 2017. These collectable packets come from the Landreth archives, with some of them printed over 75 years ago, but are packed with fresh seeds for 2017.